Where else to begin but with the Bullitt Classic. Black, elegant, discreet – almost the opposite of every other Bullitt. When it was introduced, matte black was the trend. Everybody wanted matte. Larry & Harry didn’t. They went with a deep piano gloss instead, closer to an old automobile than anything else on two wheels. A finish that turned heads without ever asking for attention.
Every Bullitt has carried graphics in one way or another. Except this one. Its name is written nowhere on the frame. If you are a Classic, you don’t need to explain it. That’s the point.
Look closer, though, and there are stories hidden in the details. The very first Classics carried a portrait of a famous boxer, tucked away for those who knew where to look. Later, in 2015, the Classic joined the versus theme: an LP record on one side, the Solvognen – a 3,400-year-old Danish sun chariot – on the other. The eternal groove of vinyl against an ancient tribute to the sun. Ask why, and you’ll probably get a story about late nights and bars. Better to draw your own meaning. That’s part of the fun.
The Classic itself became something of an artefact too, when it won the Cargo Bike Messenger World Championships in Chicago, 2012. A black piano-gloss Bullitt carrying speed and strength across the finish line – quietly proving its point.
And here’s the twist: after all the wild colours, the cultural references, the karate kicks and punk anthems – the Classic is still one of the best-sellers. Turns out, no matter how many colours Larry & Harry throw into the world, most people end up wanting the black one. Understatement travels further than noise.
And so it stays in the line-up. Less decorated than ever, more distinguished than it’s ever been. Black is still the new black.
If you want the soundtrack, it’s already waiting. The Bullitt Classic Mixtape spins from Otis Redding to Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield… timeless voices, deep grooves, no gimmicks. Just like the bike.
